Scraps
by ariescelestial
Summary: A series of scenes between Yuri and Gepetto when they initially met. A look at what we didn't see. Spoilers for Covenant and Shadow Hearts.
1. Curt Messenger

_AN: This is a series of brief scenes between Yuri and Gepetto when they first got together. I was curious about what happened and that's why I started writing these._

"Cornelia, I'll never understand it," Gepetto grumbled as he wetted the thread. "You ruin your dresses more as a puppet than you did as a girl." For the moment the doll sat silent in his lap, inanimate because the puppeteer needed both hands to mend the pale blue dress.

Rain pitter-pattered on the large glass windows as he took a patch of darker blue fabric, having been unable to find an exact match, and began to sew. Pierre would have screamed in horror at the large, uneven stitches his old hands made, but it was the best he could do. Overhead the rain was pounding as he tied off the gold thread and cut it. The dress was fitted back over Cornelia's shoulders.

For a minute Gepetto examined her small figure, wondering what was missing. She needed something for her hair. He picked up the patch of fabric that had originally torn from the dress and cut it into a neat square. Just as he tied her hair back there was a knock at the door. He scooped the doll into his arms and opened the door.

"Hello," the man on the step said. Soaked from the downpour and dressed in only a short-sleeved shirt and pants he seemed to be fighting the urge to shiver. "Are you Gepetto?"

"Yes," Gepetto answered after a brief, bewildered pause. "What are you doing, dressed like that? Come in, come in." He took up Cornelia's strings, directing her to close the door behind the young man. "And you are?"

The man lifted his red eyes from the marionette to answer, "Yuri. My name's Yuri. Dunno if Alice told you about me..."

"Why yes, she did. She wrote about a visit...but where is she?"

"She's dead."

Cornelia fell to the floor with a clatter, all her strings slackened. Gepetto stared up at the young man. "She- what?"

Yuri's hands clenched and unclenched, clenched and unclenched. "I'm sorry." He sighed and picked up the doll, depositing her on the nearby desk. "I just needed to tell you." He opened the door and walked out.

"W-wait!" His niece was dead? Gepetto threw open the door, but Yuri was already running away, into the endless rain.


	2. Holding Hands

It took Gepetto some time to recover from the shock of the news. He sat in a chair and held Cornelia tight to his chest, wondering how such wonderful girls could die so young. First his Cornelia, still a child when she passed away, and now Alice, fresh in the bloom of womanhood 

He stirred and rose out of his chair. Yuri had told him nothing, nothing at all! But he had held no hope of catching up to the young man's run earlier. Perhaps he could find out where he was waiting out the rainstorm and confront him there.

Gepetto put on his coat and hat; it took him a minute to realize he'd forgotten his glasses on the table, among the spools of thread and the pair of scissors. He picked up his cane and left. Though he hated to leave Cornelia in the apartment alone, he was just as loathe to subject her to the harsh rain and wind.

Walking the narrow cobbled street, Gepetto inquired of his neighbors if they had seen a young man, describing what he had noticed of Yuri's features. From them he learned of the trick the young man had pulled; after running for a few minutes, he had turned back and disappeared into the empty lot near Gepetto's apartment. Though there was no person immediately visible when the puppeteer looked in, the large door in the ground left little to the imagination. With some effort he opened it and climbed down, the door slamming shut behind him.

Before him his shadow flickered and danced in the low light. Turning around, he saw both the ruffian and his niece sleeping against the tunnel's cold wall. She wore a trench coat far too large for her narrow shoulders, explaining Yuri's lack of a coat. Relieved to find his niece, Gepetto reached out. Her cheek was chill to his touch. Tears coursed down Gepetto's face as he realized the young man had not been lying; his niece was dead.

He picked his cane up and drove it into Yuri's stomach, causing the strange red eyes to open. "Explain," Gepetto ground out.

"What?"

"How did she die?"

He was holding her hand, and at the question he rubbed his thumb in the fold between her thumb and forefinger. "I was under a curse and she took it from me. But I never figured out how to fix it."

"A curse...from what?" Gepetto asked. From the serene expression on her face, whatever had killed her had done so without upsetting her. Poison seemed more likely than a curse, but he knew with his niece's abilities of perception it could not have been done so subtly.

"The masks...Fear, Envy, Anger and Hate."

"Are those monsters?"

"Parts of people's souls."

As strange as the explanation seemed, Gepetto accepted it without complaint. He seemed sincere, and Alice had trusted him- that was enough.

"When did she die?"

"Yesterday, before sunset. She just went to sleep and didn't wake up."

Gepetto stroked the white-blonde hair, his fingers trembling. "What are you going to do?"

"We were headed for Zurich...Alice kept talking about it. She said it was really beautiful...that's where I'm going to bury her." His tone brooked no room for argument. After a moment, he considered and added, "Guess I have to tell her mother too."

"I'll tell her," Gepetto said. He knew Alice's mother was sensitive, and Alice's- lover? she never did quite say what they were- seemed too dulled by his emotions to be considerate of others'.

"So you're coming with?" Yuri shrugged. "That's fine, but I'm leaving now."

"Give me a half hour."

"I'll give you the next train."


	3. Storytime

Gepetto had taken the next train, and now the two men sat across from each other. Alice laid on the compartment's single bed, covered by the blanket. 

During the last evening Gepetto had pressed to know more of the curse that had taken his niece's life. Yuri for his part remained elusive on the subject. She had traded her life for his, and he had failed to find the counter for it in time. The end result was her death, and there was nothing else of significance. He never told how the curse had come on him in the first place, or when the trade had been made, or why she'd done itthough this Gepetto could guess from the letters in his trunk. Alice had written to him constantly and Yuri had often been mentioned, usually in passing comments about little things he'd done that had either pleased or upset her. Gepetto had the impression she would have written more if she hadn't been worried about boring him.

'He's a lively person; Zhuzhen often groans he can't be shut up for anything, but at least there's always something to talk about. If he's quiet for more than a few minutes we know something's bothering him.'

Well then, something was bothering him and it was obvious what. For the past hour he'd done nothing more than sit hunched in his trench coat, which he'd taken back after the shivers had started, and toyed with the silver cross around his neck. Gepetto had just opened his mouth to ask how he was feeling when Yuri suddenly laughed.

There was a brief pause. "What?" Gepetto asked.

Yuri shook his head. "Just thinking how hard Halley would sock me if he could see me." He thought for a minute. "Did Alice tell you about him?"

"Er...I think so. You helped him find his mother, I think?"

"Yeah, 'cause she was splitting my head apart. Telepathy doesn't work well with me," he explained when the puppeteer frowned.

"Telepathy?"

"Yeah. What, Alice didn't tell you about that? We only met 'cause the damned voice screamed at me to get on the train."

Gepetto shook his head, more confused than ever. Alice had not been able to write while in China, so the details he knew were quite sketchy. "She said you rescued her from some thugs is all I heard."

With his lips twitching the young man looked like he would burst out laughing any second. "Ah, man, Albert would be spitting mad if you called him a thug. Alice didn't tell you the half of it." And with that he launched into the full story of what had happened. It started relatively calm, just going to find a girl, but then a warlock boarded the train and killed all the Japanese soldiers with his minion which had severed Yuri's arm but then Yuri had crushed it and popped his arm back on and then the warlock had sent him flying through half the train and tried to make off with Alice but Yuri had followed him and BAM-

"Lively was an understatement," Gepetto muttered as Yuri leapt up to demonstrate how exactly he'd punched Albert Simon. It was a welcome distraction though, and the puppeteer listened as Yuri regaled him with stories about cannibal villages, crumbling sewers and haunted temples. Though Gepetto had some experience with magic, having studied it after Alice's ability piqued his curiosity, he determined that some parts of Yuri's story had to be just thatstory. The accounts of the warlock reanimating a corpse and of another summong a god that had ravaged Shanghai were simply too wild to believe.

From Shanghai Yuri went to Prague and what seemed months later without any explanation about what had happened between. Gepetto noticed he also glossed events in Rouen, seeming uncomfortable with the subject. But then, that was where Alice's father had died, and she must have been upset returning there.

At the mention of London he became animated again as he told about a ragtag group of snot-nosed brats and their close shave with an orphanage whose owner used children for his experiments. With the help of their young leader Yuri had rescued the children and, when Halley had lost control of his power, learned the identity of the mysterious voice that had brought him and Alice together: Halley's mother, Koudelka.

"And that's why Alice and me met," he ended, plopping back down in his seat.

"Eh? What kind of way to end a story is that?" Gepetto demanded. "What happened with Albert Simon?" He knew most of it, if not all of it, was a tall tale, but the lad couldn't end the story with such a large issue unresolved.

"Oh. Well, he kidnapped Koudelka and raised the Float, we rescued her, killed him, then offed another god." Yuri shrugged, a frown growing. "She kept saying she was fine, but she got tired easily...ah-" Both hands flew up as a rapid string of sneezes was set off. It was no surprise to Gepetto that the young man was sick after wandering in the rain yesterday. "Shit."

Cornelia deftly proffered a handkerchief. Yuri did not immediately accept it, examining the doll before grabbing the handkerchief.

"That doll," he said after wiping his nose, "her name's Cornelia, right? What's up with her?"

"Will you tell me more about the curse?" He hadn't mentioned it at all in his story, not until his comment about Alice's health, which Gepetto assumed to have been caused by the curse. Though the puppeteer had thought the color of Yuri's eyes already impossible, he saw them darken a shade further. Yuri opened his mouth, rising out of his seat. Then he grunted and fell back down.

"I already told you, no."

Gepetto was disappointed but unsurprised. It was clear Yuri was close to losing his temper, so he stopped pressing the subject. "Cornelia is my daughter. Alice's cousin. She died years ago."

"Oh...that makes sense."

"Hmm?"

"Her eyes. They're the exact same color as Alice's."

Gepetto smiled, remembering when the girls had made the same observation and how pleased they had been. "Yes, they are."

Yuri patted Cornelia on the head. "Her hair's too yellow though."

"Well, they were cousins, not twins."

The young man glanced up at him, his hand still on Cornelia's curls. "I guess." He let go of her head, thrusting his arms about himself as more shivers came.

"You should rest. You've caught an awful cold."

"Don't tell me what to do," Yuri muttered, already laying down on the chair. His eyes were dull with a sudden exhaustion and they soon closed. Slowly his body relaxed, his hard-pressed lips forming a sad frown.

Gepetto snorted, tensing the strings to bring Cornelia back to his lap. "You picked an interesting one, Alice."


	4. Leaving Everything Behind

Every step made his cane sink a little further into the soft, oozing mud. Gepetto pulled it back up and shook it, plodding on into the black night. 

Rain pummeled his hat and shoulders; it was for this reason that he had tucked Cornelia underneath his overcoat. He felt guilty now for bringing her; after telling her the bad news, his wife's sister could not look at the marionette without bursting into fresh tears, saying what good friends their two girls had been, close as sisters, and now they were both gone. He had left only when a neighbor arrived. She had braved the thunderstorm to borrow something but had forgotten her own errand when Gepetto told her of Mrs. Elliot's misfortune. The neighbor had rushed in to comfort her, and Gepetto had let her. While not as callous as Yuri, Gepetto had always felt awkward in that role.

Before leaving Gepetto had told Mrs. Elliot one last thing: where Alice was to be buried. He had tried to tell Yuri that typically family members determined where the deceased was buried. Now he knew better to try driving anything into that thick skull. As soon as Yuri had seen the tree it had been set. "I'm going to bury her here."

Gepetto caught sight of both the tree and Yuri. The fool idiot had taken off his coat in the pouring rain. Gepetto was about to ask where it was when he realized Yuri was praying. His head was bowed, his eyes closed and his lips were moving rapidly, almost stumbling, though the storm drowned out his words.

The tombstone bore the typical words: RIP, Alice Elliot. Below was another message, written in what was either Chinese or Japanese. Gepetto couldn't tell which.

Yuri raised his head, grasping the cross around his neck. He took it off and kissed the cross before setting it on the grave. "You don't have to worry, Alice," he said, lifting his head towards the sky. "I'm going to be just fine."

"What happened to your coat?" Gepetto asked, satisfied that he was not interrupting a prayer. He would have sworn the young man was trying to get pneumonia.

"She needed to be wrapped in something," Yuri replied, stiffling a sneeze.

"Not be put in a coffin, or a sheet?"

Yuri shook his head. "No." There was a particularly loud rumbling in the sky and lightning flashed so intensely the entire sky turned white.

"Hmph. How selfish."

"Huh?"

Gepetto was sure by now Yuri did not have deep ties with anyone but Alice. The funeral had been solely about him and her, without much regard for others. And truthfully it made Gepetto sympathetic; he understood that feeling of loss, and how it could eclipse everything else.

It was odd though. Yuri seemed to be leaving everything significant behind. He now wore only black jeans and a plain blue shirt- long-sleeved, for all the good it did him in this downpour. But then, people coped in different ways: some by sharing their pain with others, and some by keeping a momento of the past...and some by leaving every reminder behind and trying to move on.

"Well, let's go back to Zurich. You need to buy a new coat and both of us need to find a place to stay."

"I guess you're right," Yuri said. "It's damn cold out here." Suddenly he slapped his pocket, making Gepetto look at him. He chuckled. "I just remembered. I can't buy a coat."

"What, did you lose your wallet?"

"Nah, I know where it is."

"Then where is it?" Gepetto asked in exasperation.

"In my trenchcoat."

Which was now buried, wrapped around Alice. Gepetto shook his head. "Come on," he said, shrugging as he readjusted Cornelia's weight. "I'll buy you a coat."

"N-no. I don't need it."

"Yes you do," the puppeteer replied, just as easily. "And, Alice gave her life for yours. She'd throw a fit if you died now because your health was neglected."

Yuri thrust his arms together, both cold and irritated. "Jesus Christ, I'm not going to die of sneezing! All right, all right. I'll pay you back." With that he walked off towards Zurich.

Gepetto followed him. "Do you have a job?"

"Eh, no. But I can do just about any kind of odd job people'll pay for."

It figured. "I'll have to stick with you then, to make sure you pay me back."

"Old geezer! You don't trust me?" Yuri cuffed the older man on the shoulder. It wasn't a matter of trust; Gepetto was just glad for a reasonable excuse to accompany Yuri farther. With what little concern Yuri had for his own well-being, it would probably be best if someone stayed alongside him and made sure Alice's wish was fulfilled, for him to live. Gepetto would do that for his niece.

"Where are you planning on going?"

"Somewhere. Don't know. Just any place where I can do some good."

"Good?"

Yuri walked for several seconds without responding. Then: "Like Alice would do."

Gepetto nodded, understanding. They were both carrying out Alice's wishes, as each saw them.

"Course, I can't heal people that well, so I'll just have to thrash the punk who hurt 'em...achoo!"

Gepetto laughed. "Yes, you can blow them down with your sneezing."

"Shaddup."

Gepetto stopped for a moment to lift Cornelia up; she was slipping again and seemed tohave heavier. Overhead the sky still raged, lighting clashing in the sky. He scanned the dark sky and wondered how many more storms they would encounter. But he knew at the same time that, miles above the angry clouds, there was a vast expanse of blue sky.

_AN: This is the end of the series! Well, maybe not. I'm considering a piece with Gepetto's thoughts on the resurrection attempt. If there's enough interest I'll do it, but be aware that first I have to replay that part and it may be a few weeks (I can only play on weekends) before I get there again. Any other requests will be considered; I am currently finished with Manmariana Island on this playthrough._


	5. The Volunteer

All the villagers had come to the meeting. The church had been the only place large enough to hold all of the men and the older boys so they gathered there, filling the pews. A statue of the Virgin Mother and her child looked down on them as they discussed the fates of their families.

Geppetto and Yuri, both strangers to Domremy, sat together in the back row. The older man had listened attentively as they argued, back and forth, the issue of the German troops approaching. Some wanted to fight. Many more did not. There were the women and children to think of. Even though the force was small, the Germans were well-armed. They could be the toughest fighters, one voice shouted, they'd still fall to bullets. They had guns but not enough, and no training.

When the men started to shout at each other, Geppetto had looked down to see Yuri, tapping his heel as he stared ahead at the next pew.

"What's wrong?" Geppetto thought the young man must have lost track of the conversation; he was not a fluent French speaker.

"They can't fight." With that Yuri had stood and walked to the front of the church. Each step eased his walk into a more comfortable stride. "Bonjour!" It took three times to get everyone to realize the mixed foreigner was talking to them.

"Bonjour. Je m'appelle Yuri Hyuga." The French had not come 'trippingly off the tongue', but, Geppetto noted with relief, was not incomprehensible. "Je suis un…um…guerre d'homme. Je voudrais—je voudrais aider toi. Vous. Shit."

Under ordinary circumstances Geppetto would have loved to let Yuri stumble with French grammar. But the stony silence brought him to his feet.

"Tell me what you're going to say and I'll translate," he called.

"Tell them I'll take care of the soldiers, if they don't mind their church getting a little busted up."

Joining Yuri at the altar, Geppetto frowned. "With who?"

"I said me. I'll do it myself."

"_How?_"

"Are you going to translate or am I gonna have to mime?"

"Are you going to explain?"

The glare Geppetto received was almost as fierce as the ones he had gotten for mentioning the four mask curse.

"Fine then, forget I said anything," Geppetto muttered before speaking to the congregation. "Mon compagnon dit qu'il défera les soldats...mais il est possible votre église sera endommagé."

The youngest in the assembly seemed to think this was a curious statement. The rest of the men stared at them.

"They think I'm fucking nuts, don't they."

"I'm glad that doesn't need translation. You ARE 'fucking nuts'," Geppetto said, and he was starting to believe it. Even if Yuri's claims of defeating two warlocks were true, he had done it with others. Geppetto knew his niece's powers must have been a great assistance. Yuri had said himself he was not a good healer, and a bullet through the brain would be impossible to heal in any case.

"Just convince them. The soldiers are coming from the woods, right? So I'll just have to lure them to the church. No sweat. Oh, and one more thing," Yuri said, scratching the back of his neck. "Anyone who goes in the church when the soldiers come is a dead man. That includes you."

"What's that about?" demanded Geppetto.

"Well, it's a bunch of soldiers. There's gonna be some bullets flying around."

As Yuri walked away Geppetto ground his teeth in frustration. Yuri was perfectly aware of the danger; then, either he was impervious to bullets, or—this was an act of suicide.

Author's Note: This is the first part of a two-chapter (hopefully two chapter) scenario. It just occurred to me that besides the curse, Yuri might not have been straightforward about his fusion abilities, which leads to an interesting misunderstanding.

_For those who don't know French…learn it! No, no, joking. This is what Yuri said: "Hello! My name is Yuri Hyuga. I am a…uh…war of man (he meant to say 'man of war' or fighter). I would like—I would like to help you the informal form. You the formal form and required when speaking to a group of people. Shit."_

_Basically, I think Yuri might know enough French to introduce himself, but past that he's sunk._

_What Geppetto said: "My companion says he'll defeat the soldiers…but it's possible your church will be damaged."_


	6. Silent Night

That night, Geppetto was awoken by the white wolf's howling. He groaned and sat up. Yuri's bed was empty which didn't surprise Geppetto: as far as he knew, the young man had never come in. 

Cornelia lay nearby, eyes closed in mimicry of sweet repose. Geppetto frowned, knowing if anything went wrong he would most likely lose her.

Leaving the doll he took his crests, the precious few he had garnered over years of study. One had a healing spell, another a water-based attack, another air-based, and the fourth...he replaced that one and took the first three.

Blanca was still howling, warning all the villagers of the danger. Yuri was probably still trying to find the soldiers, if Blanca had just scented them. If Geppetto could hide himself in the church before Yuri lured the soldiers there...a sudden ambush might work.

It also occured to Geppetto that Yuri might well get himself shot before ever reaching the church.

"Grandpa?"

The soft voice stopped him as he was in the doorway. He turned and saw Jeanne standing in her nightshift, one hand rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Are you going to the church? Mama told me no one's supposed to go."

"Yuri needs help, even if he doesn't want to admit it," Geppetto answered.

"Oh...so you're going to help him? You're both really brave to fight those soldiers," she said. "You'll come back soon, won't you?"

"Yes," Geppetto promised easily. For a second he expected her to tell him 'you always say that', then shook it off. "See you in the morning, Jeanne." He opened the door and left for the church.

As he got closer Blanca's howling grew louder and he sped his pace, determined to get to the church in time.

Suddenly a scream rose above the wolf's howling. Geppetto stopped, his heart hammering--and then he realized it was not Yuri's voice but another's. This must be a part of the 'lure'.

Geppetto snuck into the church and hid himself at the front of the church, behind the statue of Mary and Jesus. Then he examined the crests he had brought with him. The water crest proceeded in a line, so the more distance between him and the soldiers, the better. However, if Yuri was in the middle, he would have to use the air class.

Any more planning was interrupted when something large hit the ground. Geppetto wondered what the Germans had that could make that sound and that shaking.

The church doors swung open, banging against the walls. Startled, the puppeteer could not stop himself from peering around the statue. His mouth went dry when he realized the gargantuan form was not a German weapon, but a demon, a thing of nightmares. In the darkness its eyes gleamed with an unnatural light and it stood twice as tall as a man--and it was holding a soldier in its arms. The man was limp as a doll, seeming lifeless. Carelessly the demon dropped the soldier to the floor where he moaned, proving he was still alive. It did little to dispel Geppetto's fears.

Turning away from the altar, the demon lumbered towards the doors. Geppetto realized then how heavy he was perspiring, sweat and more dampening his clothes. Looking further he could see the monster's distraction: a troop of German soldiers. They now seemed to regret trying to recover their comrade.

"Get...out...of...here..." The demon spoke slowly, the syllables choked out of ill-formed vocal cords. "Get...out...or...die."

One soldier opened fire. Perhaps he hadn't understood, or maybe he was too terrified, but one fired and then a chorus of gunfire followed. Geppetto ducked back down when a poorly-aimed bullet ricocheted off the statue. His heart was pounding fast. What was going on? What was Yuri doing? The soldiers had come to the church, but he had done nothing, unless...unless this monster was his.

There was a cry as a soldier flew through the air the length of the chapel. When he hit the wall there was a tremendous sound of bones snapping. Then he fell to the ground, just within Geppetto's view...he was most assuredly dead.

Screams were quickly shortened into the groans of dying men and the satisfied grunts of the demon. The slaughter did not last long. When the groans stopped Geppetto dared to look again. He saw the demon standing over the dead men as it examined a blade protruding from its arm, which was now slick and shining with blood. With a loud snort the demon dropped its arm and disappeared in a flash of light--and there was Yuri.

He hadn't summoned a monster, he had become one. Geppetto watched with a choked throat as Yuri went back to the one unconscious soldier and kicked him.

"Hey, moron. Wake up," Yuri rasped. When the soldier failed to respond Yuri growled and kicked him in the gut. "Wake up!" The soldier doubled over in pain, gasping. Before he could recover, Yuri grabbed his head by the thick hair and lifted him up, forcing him to see the remains of his troop. "See this?" The soldier was shaking. "Good. Now get the hell out of Domremy."

Once Yuri loosened his grip, the soldier scrambled to his legs and ran, stumbling as his pants were down around his ankles. Yuri watched him for a moment, unaware that he was being watched himself. Then he gave a little cough. "Goddamn, I hate when that happens," he muttered while rubbing his throat. Geppetto ducked down again when Yuri turned to the front, afraid--terrified--that the demon knew he was there. But he heard nothing for a moment, and then Yuri's footsteps, going away.

The doors never swung shut and so it took Geppetto several minutes to finally gather his courage and stand. Yuri was nowhere in sight.

Outside, the sky was just beginning to lighten, still a deep purple. The faintest rays let Geppetto see the soldiers' corpses. Yuri had taken care of the soldiers, certainly. He had taken care of them the way a butcher took care of a carcass. So horrific were the wounds that Geppetto found it hard to tear his eyes away.

A movement caught his attention though and he looked up. Yuri was standing in the doorway, a shovel in hand. Geppetto's heartbeat quickened with the other man's eyes resting on him and he cursed himself for a fool. Of course Yuri would have come back; he could not just leave this bloodbath for the villagers to find.

"How long have you been here?" Yuri asked, his voice still rough.

There was no point in lying. Even if he claimed to have just entered the church it would have meant he was nearby when the fight happened. He would stil be a witness. "The whole time."

Yuri's free hand balled into a fist. "You goddamn idiot. I could've killed you."

"Does that mean you're not going to?"

The question threw Yuri off guard. "I'm not a demon," he answered quietly.

Geppetto would have liked to believe that; he had grown fond of him in the last few weeks. There was blood on the coat he wore, the coat Geppetto had bought for him. All of it came from the dead soldiers lying around them, whom he had killed just moments ago as a monster. Geppetto wished to believe him, but the corpses' testimony was more powerful than words.

"Fuck you, Gep," Yuri told him, apparently aware of the conclusion he'd reached. He threw down the shovel and finally walked into the church. "You think this is sad you should think about the goddamn mess they would've made of this village. What the hell was I supposed to do? I gave them a warning and they shot at me."

"Do you really think they understood you?" Geppetto tossed back. "They were too terrified to think straight."

"Goddamnit, what did you want me to do? Just stand in the church like this, tell them to shove off and have 'em fill me with lead? Oh, yeah, lot a help that does."

Help. Yuri had spoken once of wanting to do good, in return for Alice's sacrifice. Geppetto knew his niece would have been horrified at this sight. "Is this the good you wanted to do?" he demanded, indicating the carnage. "Is this what you think Alice would have done?"

"No, it's not. You want to know what I think Alice would have done? Alice probably would've found a way to keep the villagers safe and let the soldiers get off easy. Cast Advent to put the fear of God in them or...I don't know." He stopped suddenly and sighed, one hand running through his hair. "I have no fucking clue what she would have done. I just know I couldn't do it.

"I'm no exorcist, and I can't do the kind of miracles she did. I don't do miracles at all. People would've died tonight, and I made it as easy and quick as I could."

"Easy?"

"You've been here the whole time, haven't you? I didn't draw it out. I got it over with and killed them."

They had all been terrified, but now that Geppetto tried to recall the course of events he could not remember any of them being in pain for long. With his head bowed in thought he remembered the crests still clutched in hand. They were demons that the ancient king Solomon had captured, now to be used...whether good or evil depended on the user, but he and Morris had once argued fiercely over that point; the other man had believed them demonic no matter who used them, despite Geppetto's protests.

Were Yuri's actions evil, or was he only thinking that because he had changed into a demon? But, how could he not be a demon and yet turn into one?

"Forget it. I don't know why I try getting you to believe me when you wouldn't even listen--"

"No, I...I do believe you," Geppetto said slowly. Though the sight of the dead soldiers was horrifying and terrible, he could see it being necessary. All of Europe was engulfed in a great war, and he could imagine there were worse sights to see. Yuri, despite his strangeness, despite his red eyes, did not seem a demon. "How did you turn into that demon if you're not one?"

Yuri tilted his head, thinking it over and then laughed. "You ask the hard questions, don't you? I know my father could do the same thing, but I really don't know where it comes from." His voice was lighter now, relieved. Then he examined Geppetto and asked: "Do you really believe me, or are you just trying to keep me long enough to find an exorcist?"

"I'll only get an exorcist if you try to steal my soul."

"What are you talking about? The devil wouldn't want your dirty old soul," Yuri tossed back, and despite all the night's terrors--or perhaps because of them--Geppetto laughed as though it were the funniest thing ever.

After he was done, there was a brief pause. "You're not going to tell anyone, right?"

"No, I know. I won't tell anyone, don't worry about that," Geppetto said. "But I should probably go back now; I think Jeanne stayed up to wait for us. I'll tell her the soldiers aren't a problem anymore."

"Problem for me," Yuri corrected him. "I've gotta dig graves for them."

Geppetto nodded. It was an urgent concern, and it would take Yuri a long while to dig a grave for each soldier. "Then, I'll go on ahead."

Yuri nodded in agreement and moved aside for Geppetto to step past him. The older man had just reached the door when he heard: "Hey...hey, Gep." He turned and looked at Yuri, who was rubbing a hand through his hair again. "Thanks."

_Author's Note: Morris is Alice's father, for anyone wondering. Sorry this chapter took so long to write; it's been a busy (but good) week._


End file.
